For 12,500 shillings. Fred Kibombo, not a relative of mine, was 22 years old. He was killed when he climbed up a tree he had been contracted to fell. The contractor wanted the tree uprooted and was to pay him and a colleague 25,000 shillings, which they would share equally.
They first hacked at the roots, expecting the tree to come down by the time they were done. But it remained firm in its place. They pushed and threw themselves at it but the tree wouldn't budge. They decided it would be best to cut off some branches and maybe, just maybe, it would fall.
So they got a ladder and climbed up the tree.
His colleague says he felt very uneasy when he felt the tree move and suggested that they descend. He said he heard Kibombo say, “Ehhhh!”
Next thing he knew, the tree was coming down fast. The wind was strong. He held on tight, clutching at the bark. For dear life. He screamed. Then he landed with a heavy thud. On top of the trunk. He looked over for his friend.
“Kibombo! Kibombo!”
No answer.
He got up and checked. There was Kibombo, lying under the trunk, near the branches. Out cold. Dead actually.
He started shouting, “Munyambe! Munyambe! Wuuuuu! Wuuu! Abange munyambe!!!"
Holding his rubber Niiginas in his right hand, tears streaming down his face, he narrated the story to the villagers who had come running. They sympathized with him.
Then they carried away Kibombo’s mangled. body. Back to his father’s house.
I wonder if the friend got the 25,000 shillings, or if he took only his half.
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